one of the most interesting from an affective perspective isn't it. the best example of creating something out of nothing at all, and everyone feeling totally different afterwards. very much an illustration of the assemblage bit from D&G, that between the conversational participants and the environment and whatever stimulants you've got in you, together you are a machine that generates affect.
good conversational partners are few and far between. it takes time. obviously quite apart from getting old, we're in a phase culturally where for various reasons there is less dead time sitting around in rooms or walking around, which is one of the situations where these things tend to develop. phones are one thing, and the mass tendency to stay in on the internet rather than going out is another. but another is the constant and intense push to be doing specific things even for fun, to be going to the christmas market, to be eating a new food at a restaurant, to be going to this bar, to be going to a gig, to be going to yoga, to be going to pottery class, to be on a date with someone from an app, etc.
also possibly people are being deskilled in this respect. which is not to say that there was ever a period where everyone was good at talking. but it is noticeable how you can see people's ability to chat, and in particular be funny, wane over time. or get better if they've been doing something which involves spending a long time around other people.
there is a new thing as well which does shut things down a bit, which is that there is constantly the possibility of someone jumping down your throat with some argument or line that they've seen on twitter or listened to on a podcast, which is a possibly overall good addition to the world, but which does mean that on some things saying anything much is a bit too risky to bother.